Framing the issue:
• Patient engagement is getting pushed to the forefront for hospital leaders, as the U.S. health care system moves to a more value-driven approach, focused on avoiding unnecessary care and treating the health of populations.
• Engagement can be a loyalty-builder and brand-differentiator if used properly. A recent study estimates that 41 percent of patients are willing to switch doctors to gain access to their health records.
• Hospitals are engaging patients across a continuum, from the individual level to the health care team level, organizationally and out in the community to get ahead of health issues before they end up in the ED.
• Patients are filling key roles to help shape the delivery system, serving as advisers, tagging along on rounds and sitting in on executive interviews to reshape how care is delivered.
They're everywhere — reclined in emergency department beds, waiting at the doctor's office or picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy. Millions are willing to lend their expertise to hospitals across the country if health care leaders would just give them the go-ahead.
Patient engagement has grown from an ill-defined buzz phrase uttered at conference lectures or board tables to a strategic imperative for hospital leaders. Fully involving patients in their care can bear fruit throughout the delivery system, from avoiding costly rehospitalizations, to improving health literacy and patient satisfaction scores.
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